The present invention relates to disk playback devices and, more particularly, to a disk playback device having a disk changer with a stacker for storing two or more disks.
A disk playback device with a disk changer that uses a removable stacker for two or more disks is well known. However, in a conventional disk playback device a disk not already loaded into the stacker cannot be played without first removing the stacker to load the disk into it. If the stacker is fully loaded, a disk must be removed to make room for the new disk. This makes the loading and playing of single disks inconvenient.
An attempt to resolve this problem is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 62-195257.
The disk playback device described in the above utility model has, in addition to a stacker for two or more disks, a pullout disk tray to allow the playback of a single disk without manipulation of the stacker.
As shown in FIG. 12, a disk playback device 1 of the prior art has a stacker 4 for vertically stacking up to six disks, 5.1-5.6. A disk tray 2 is positioned above stacker 4 for loading a single disk 5.0. A disk playback means 3 is included in disk playback device 1 alongside disk tray 2 and stacker 4. Disk playback means 3 is moveable up and down, as indicated by the double-headed arrow, to position it adjacent to a particular one of disks 5.0-5.1 to be read.
In another embodiment of the prior art, it may be possible to move the disk that is selected for playback from disk tray 2 or disk stacker 4 to the level of a fixed position disk playback means 3. A major problem of this approach is that when single disk 5.0 is to be played using disk tray 2, after disk 5.0 is placed on disk tray 2 and pushed into disk player 1, disk 5.0 must be moved over and then lowered to disk playback means 3. This approach requires a very complex disk handling device, especially when compared to a single play disk player.